Fine Motor Skills

A lot of children have trouble with their fine motor skills. Occupational therapy is usually recommended to address this delay. However, there are TONS of things families can do at home to work on these skills. Most of these activities can be done with materials you already have around the house. I would recommend doing a couple of activities each day during playtime, depending on your child's needs.

Pincer Grasp
Children develop their pincer grasp around 12 months of age. They move from using all their fingers to "rake" items into their hand to using their index and thumb together to pick up small objects like Cheerios. A neat pincer grasp is important for eating- picking up foods to finger feed, putting food in their mouth nicely instead of shoving it in with their whole palm, and eventually using utensils. A pincer grasp will eventually be needed to hold a pencil correctly and button buttons.

* Put small items such a beans or coins in playdough and have child get them out
*Put flat items like coins or bingo chips into a piggy bank
*Use an eyedropper filled with paint to drop paint onto paper for unique art
*Crumple bits of tissue paper for craft projects
*Peel off stickers
*Tear tissue paper
*Squirt toys in the tub (little fish or ducks that squirt water)
*Place clothespins around a empty container or paper plate
*Pop bubble wrap

Strengthening Hand Muscles
*Use a hole puncher
*Playdough or Thera Putty
*Squeeze a turkey baster 10 times in each hand
*Use large tongs to pick up cotton balls or pom poms and put them in an open container (also good for hand-eye coordination)
*Play with squirt guns or spray bottles filled with water